To understand what steps may impair relationship formation in Northeast Asia, I examined the dating process of singles along four steps: 1) having positive dating intentions, 2) the monthly frequency of meeting new people, and 3) the monthly frequency of meeting potential partners (or “prospects”). Then, I queried if single women are pursued and if they cannot find “Mister Right.”
5.2.1 DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS
The mean and standard deviation for each step are provided in Table 5.2. Figure 5.1 to Figure 5.3 represent the steps, by country and by gender.
Step 1: Singles’ dating intentions (Table 5.2). Taiwanese single participants had more intentions to date (M = 3.19, SD = 0.50) than French and Japanese (M = 2.90, SD = 0.52, and M = 2.83, SD = 0.63 respectively), F(2, 680) = 23.70, p < .001, η2 = .07. Among Japanese single participants, there also was a gender difference in dating intention: Single women had less intention to date than men, t(1, 342) = -3.50, p = .001, d = .44 (ps > .06 for French and Taiwanese singles). Overall among singles, those without dating intentions represented 28%
of Japanese women, 21% for French women, 8% for Taiwanese women, 13% for Japanese men, 14% for French men and 0% for Taiwanese men.
Step 2: Singles’ monthly frequency of meeting new people (Table 5.2). I expected that French singles would meet more new people than Northeast Asians. As expected, there was a cultural difference: French single participants reported meeting three times more new people monthly (M = 6.28, SD = 7.23) than Taiwanese (M = 2.35, SD = 3.03), and six times more than Japanese participants (M = 1.18, SD = 1.84), F(2, 393) = 43.03, p < .001, η2 = .18. In addition, I observed a gender difference among Taiwanese and Japanese participants: Taiwanese men reported meeting more new people than women, t(156) = -2.31, p = .02, d = -.40, and Japanese men reported meeting more new people than women, t(189) = -2.05, p = .04, d = -.40. No gender difference was observed among the French (p = .94).
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Step 3: Singles’ monthly frequency of meeting prospects (Table 5.2). I expected that French singles would meet more prospects than Northeast Asians. French single participants reported meeting an equivalent number of prospects monthly (M = 2.51, SD = 4.75) than Taiwanese (M
= 1.96, SD = 4.47), who reported meeting more prospects than Japanese participants (M = 0.79, SD = 3.27), F(2, 366) = 5.15, p = .006, η2 = .03. There also was a gender difference in Japan, results are presented in three pyramids, by country and by gender (Figure 5.1 to Figure 5.3).
The lowest and higher boxes represent percent of singles and daters in the considered country x gender sample. Other boxes represent the percent of single participants with positive intentions and non-null answer at each steps. Box sizes are proportional to the percent numbers.
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Figure 5.1. Dating pyramid for French participants
Note: Top and bottom boxes represent percent of singles and daters in the sample.
Boxes in between represent the percent of singles with positive intent and non-null answers.
* p < .05. ** p < .01 indicate significant gender difference in mean value for each step.
The French and Taiwanese pyramids are similarly rectangular in shape, indicating that a large percentage of single participants intend to date and have progressed up the pyramid to finally meet prospects (67% of Taiwanese singles and 70% of French singles meet prospects). One notable difference between Taiwanese and French singles, however, is the mean frequency of new people met, which is significantly higher for French. Although both French and Taiwanese singles meet prospects, Taiwanese are dating less than French (42% vs. 56% are currently dating, p < .001, V = .14). I therefore conclude that Taiwanese may have more difficulties than French to find “Mister or Miss Right” although they meet a similar number of prospects as the French.
The pyramid for Japanese singles was less rectangular in shape, but more “pointy:” Fewer participants reached the step of meeting prospects (28%) compared to 67% (Taiwanese) and 70% (French). In particular, the Japanese women’s side of the pyramid is narrowing from the early stage of dating intentions: 28% of single women already had no intention to date. The mean value for women at each step was significantly lower than that of men (ds > 0.40; Means and standard deviations in Table 5.2). Finally only 15% of single Japanese women met prospects, which is significantly less than Japanese men (56%), Taiwanese women (59%) and French women (58%).
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Figure 5.2. Dating pyramid for Taiwanese participants
Note: Top and bottom boxes represent percent of singles and daters in the sample.
Boxes in between represent the percent of singles with positive intent and non-null answers.
* p < .05. ** p < .01 indicate significant gender difference in mean value for each step.
Figure 5.3. Dating pyramid for Japanese participants
Note: Top and bottom boxes represent percent of singles and daters in the sample.
Boxes in between represent the percent of singles with positive intent and non-null answers.
* p < .05. ** p < .01 indicate significant gender difference in mean value for each step.
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5.2.3 NOT BEING PURSUED AND NOT FINDING “MISTER RIGHT”
Finally, I explored if single women may differ by country in not being pursued, and in not finding their “Mister Right” (Table 5.2).
I expected Northeast Asian women would agree more on both accounts as suggested by interviews. There was, however, no significant country difference on not being pursued (p
= .12). Single women from the three countries somehow agreed they were not pursued (Ms >
2). There was, however, a significant country difference on not finding “Mister Right,” with Taiwanese and French single women agreeing more with the statement compared to Japanese, F(2, 342). = 92.49, p < .001, η2 = .35. The comparison between the two questions also shed light on what may be the bigger issue by country. A paired t-test34 indicated that not finding
“Mister Right” was a significantly bigger issue compared to not being pursued for Taiwanese, t(103) = 11.15, p < .001, d = 1.14 and French single women, t(25) = 5.42, p < .001, d = 1.06, and there was no difference between the two questions for Japanese single women (p = .82).
In sum, finding “Mister Right,” may be a larger issue for Taiwanese single women, compared to Japanese single women.